Drivers find a bridge too far

Wednesday

Mar 6, 2013 at 3:02 PM

Anyone who has driven in North Carolina for any length of time has just become used to road construction as part of our daily lives. I seriously believe that there is not one part of our state where you can drive continuously for 20 miles without seeing one of those lovely "road work ahead" signs. The state bird should be changed from the cardinal to the orange barrel.

Sharon Myers

Anyone who has driven in North Carolina for any length of time has just become used to road construction as part of our daily lives. I seriously believe that there is not one part of our state where you can drive continuously for 20 miles without seeing one of those lovely "road work ahead" signs. The state bird should be changed from the cardinal to the orange barrel. Although we can admit that it is well-needed, it seems like Interstate 85 and U.S. Highway 52 are perpetually being repaved, rerouted and revamped. Not to mention how often traffic is slowed to a snail's pace on I-40 because a lane is closed for repair. It's to the point where I barely slow down at the sight of an orange sign, and I am no longer nervous driving at 60 mph with both sides closed in by cement barriers. I guess it must be some genetic Southern disposition to NASCAR that makes difficult driving conditions exciting. Davidson County has had its share of "Orange Cone Fever," but with its own local flavor. Bridge repair has become the fashionable project du jour for our transportation planners. For once, we are forerunners in our country when it comes to hot topics. During his State of the Union speech, President Obama specifically mentioned how repairing our infrastructure is imperative to the progress of our country. Not since FDR opened our country to the excitement of the open road by creating our network of highways has the need for rebuilding our roads and bridges been so necessary. And I have to admit that most if not all the bridges around here are very, very old and are in desperate need of repair. I can remember years ago that there was an old wooden bridge that went over the train tracks behind Erlanger Mill. This thing was so old and rickety that it seemed a definite possibility that it would collapse before you reached the other side. We would floor it and see how fast we could get across, which was stupid because if it was going to go, it was going to go, but it was thrilling to say the least. Eventually, they built a safe, new, modern bridge, but it just wasn't the same as risking your life just to take a shortcut to go across town.I know that the state government does as much as it can with the limited resources it has, so I don't blame them. But the state must have had some financial windfall or found some money from somewhere because all of a sudden it seems like all the bridges in Lexington are closed. Not only are they just being spruced up they are being replaced. My brother-in-law joked that if they kept this up we would be an island cut off from the rest of the world because we wouldn't be able to get out. He has a point. The first was the bridge on East Center Street a few years back. It seems so long ago, but I distinctly remember having to weave my way behind the old Lexington Home Brands factory buildings to make my way over to Talbert Boulevard. I actually experienced a traffic jam at the tunnel under the railroad tracks down near Southern Lunch one day. Soon that bridge was open again, and they started on the bridge further down East Center Street Extension heading to Finch Park. I believe that one should be open by May and none too soon because spring is coming, and we spend a lot more time at the park when it's warm. Not to mention during this time an 18-wheeler ran into the bridge on Winston Road going over Interstate 85 Business Loop near Big Lots, so it was closed for a while and needs to be repaired. And finally, this week I was heading down U.S. Highway 64 and noticed that they were clearing the trees near the bridge that goes over I-85 Business Loop. So obviously they are going to be doing some road work on or near that bridge. Hey, by the time they're finished maybe we will be the bridge capital of North Carolina. In the long run, I know we will all be happier and feel much safer, but I, for one, am done with this outbreak of road and bridge repair. Will there ever be a day when we can drive our cars freely without being surrounded by orange barrels and be able to go from one side of town to the other without having to navigate the secondary streets of the city?Sharon Myers is a married mother of two. She is a graduate of Lexington Senior High and received her bachelor's degree in journalism from East Carolina University.

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